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Cobb Island resident Virginia Marie Stone, 46, has been sentenced to 10 years - with all but eight suspended - in prison after pleading guilty earlier this year to neglect of a vulnerable adult in March in connection to the death of her daughter.
In addition to her prison term, Stone was also ordered by a judge to serve five years of supervised probation upon her release from prison.
Officers from the Charles County Sheriff’s Office responded to the 17400 block of Audrey Road in Cobb Island on Sept. 30, 2020, where there was a report of a person not breathing, investigators said.
Upon arrival, officers said that they located the teen, who was dead, while her mother claimed she had “several underlying medical conditions," which were attributed to the fatal episode.
Stone reported to officers that prior to their arrival, the teen told Stone that she was not feeling well and requested a glass of milk.
When she returned to the room, the girl was beginning to breathe heavily, which continued until her mother called 911.
However, a spokesperson for Charles County State's Attorney Tony Covington said that "the (teen) appeared emaciated and was only partially clothed," at the time she was located.
"Feces and maggots were located on the victim’s body, as well as large sores on her lower extremity," they added. "Further, the victim’s room appeared unkept and unsanitary."
The girl was pronounced dead at the scene by paramedics.
The teen’s body was transported to the Office of the Chief Medical Examiner for an autopsy, which determined that her death was a homicide due to neglect, pneumonia, and malnutrition.
As part of the death investigation, it was determined that the teen was diagnosed with several medical conditions years ago, which were treatable if she was provided the appropriate care.
Investigators also found that the teen suffered from an underlying flesh-eating disease that limited her mobility and required outside medical care, as well as the care of her mother.
Due to the severity that the teen was found in, it was determined that Stone did not give her proper care for years preceding her death, leadig to her arrest.
"I’ve been doing this for a long time, and I can say without a doubt this is the worst case I’ve ever seen” the assistant state's attorney prosecuting the case said, citing that “this was a chronic situation that happened over time and, frankly, must have been torturous.”
She furthered that parents are supposed to protect their children, but this case was “horrific, tragic, [and] awful.”
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